As wireless networks evolve and grow, there are ongoing challenges in providing high-quality service to increasing numbers of wireless devices in various coverage areas of a wireless network. One approach to improving service quality and coverage is to provide a plurality of carriers on a radio-air interface deployed by a base station or access node. The plurality of carriers utilize different frequency bands or sub-bands. Further, one or more antennae of the access node may be configured to deploy the different carriers in various configurations that enable wireless devices and access nodes to communicate using a combination of carriers. For example, data transmitted across two or more “component carriers” may be aggregated using carrier aggregation. Further, different carriers may be targeted towards different parts of a geographical coverage area of the wireless network or towards pairs of wireless devices using techniques such as, for example, multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) or beamforming. The one or more antennae of an access node may be controlled by a radio head, with each antenna being communicatively coupled to a radio port on the radio head. To increase the number of carriers deployed by an access node, the radio head may be split or divided into at least two portions. This allows additional carriers to utilize the power of the radio head and antenna ports thereof without reducing the bandwidth. Further, as smaller or low-powered access nodes (i.e. small cells) are deployed in increasing numbers throughout heterogenous wireless networks, additional carriers of different frequencies may need to be provided by low-power radio heads.
Overview
Exemplary embodiments described herein include systems, methods, and processing nodes for assigning carriers to radio ports of a radio head. An exemplary method described herein for assigning carriers to radio ports comprises assigning a first carrier deployed by an access node to a first set of radio ports communicably coupled to a corresponding first plurality of antennae of the access node via a radio head, wherein the first set of radio ports comprises a first split portion of the radio head, assigning a second carrier deployed by the access node to a second set of radio ports communicably coupled to a corresponding second plurality of antennae of the access node via the radio head, wherein the second set of radio ports comprises a second split portion of the radio head, determining a difference between a first power level available to the first carrier via the first set of radio ports and a second power level available to the second carrier via the second set of radio ports, and changing a split of the radio head such that the difference between the first and second power levels is minimized.
An exemplary system described herein for assigning carriers to radio ports in a wireless network includes an access node configured to deploy a plurality of carriers, a radio head coupled to the access node, the radio head comprising a plurality of radio ports coupled to a corresponding plurality of antennae of the access node, and a processor coupled to the access node. The processor may be configured to perform operations comprising assigning a first carrier deployed by the access node to a first set of radio ports of the radio head, assigning a second carrier deployed by the access node to a second set of radio ports of the radio head, determining that a first power level available to the first carrier via the first set of radio ports is lower than a threshold, and changing a split of the radio head such that the first power level meets the threshold. Changing the split of the radio head comprises increasing a number of radio ports in the first set of radio ports.
An exemplary processing node described herein for assigning carriers to radio ports in a wireless network is configured to perform operations comprising assigning a first carrier deployed by an access node to a first set of radio ports communicably coupled to a corresponding first plurality of antennae of the access node via a radio head, wherein the first set of radio ports comprises a first split portion of the radio head, assigning a second carrier deployed by the access node to a second set of radio ports communicably coupled to a corresponding second plurality of antennae of the access node via the radio head, wherein the second set of radio ports comprises a second split portion of the radio head, determining a difference between a first power level available to the first carrier via the first set of radio ports and a second power level available to the second carrier via the second set of radio ports, and changing a split of the radio head such that the difference between the first and second power levels is minimized.